It’s an easy day trip (or half-day) on a generally good road past gorgeous Causarina Trees from Puri to the massive and famous Konarak Sun Temple…View image. Konarak Temple is a 13th century architectural marvel, designed as a celestial chariot of the Sun God with 12 pairs of wheels and seven horses. Situated on the Bay of Bengal, this legendary temple also has beautiful sculptures…View image… covering all aspects of life and lots of erotic art. The Konarak Sun Temple is one of Orissa’s major highlights and we were excited about seeing it.

Konarak Temple is open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is always thronged with thousands of pilgrims who came to visit Jagannath Temple, and tourists like us who have heard of Konarak’s renown (even though there were only two other westerners there besides us. We arrived by 9:00 a.m. and it was already beastly hot with no shade. The temperature was supposed to reach 40 C/104 Ftoday (it was probably between 30/86-32 C/95 F now). I’d recommend biting the bullet and getting there as early as possible.

(Spend US$40 at the Lonely Planet Shop and receive free delivery and a free gift )
We approached Konarak Temple down a street lined with stalls selling yummy looking watermelons…View image, nuts…View image, coconuts, little toys made out of coconut husks (had to stop and buy some for grandchildren), before reaching the entrance, paid 25R to use a camcorder and got the first sight of not only Konarak but a half-naked “sardar” – an India holy man – who was not a pretty sight but did make a colorful impression.

little toys or sale outside Konarak Sun Temple, Orissa, India 

Konarak from the distance, Orissa, India 

holy man at Konarak Temple, India
You are allowed to wear shoes (thank goodness) because this partially destroyed temple is no longer a living temple, I can’t imagine walking around on acres of very hot stone, clockwise, if you are a pilgrim. There are a few trees for shade around the perimeter but only one in the main complex itself…View image…

The closer we came, the more awe-inspiring this massive Sun Temple became. King Narasingbeb built Konarak as a dedication to the Sun Gods. Construction began in 1236 with 1,200 workmen who labored for 12 years. There is a very “Ankorwatty” feeling to Kanarak, probably because of the red sandstone and carved images…View image….View image…

Two imposing giant lions crush war elephants on either side of Konarak’s main entrance…View image… that I think symbolized the triumph of Hinduism over Buddhism, our basic introduction to Konarak while Bibhu fed non-stop history sound bytes to us. (Many the time I had to stop Bibhu and explain, once again, that we both have brains the size of peas with a short attention span.)

Konarak giant lions over elephants, Puri, India 

entering the second Konarak Temple, Puri, India
A walk around the perimeter of Konarak to examine the remaining gigantic and exquisitely ornamented wheels…View image. Huge in scale with intricate carvings inside the hub of each wheel and on the spokes. What an effort of time and labor!

gigantic Konarak Sun Temple chariot wheels, Orissa 

detail inside the wheel hub, Konarak Sun Temple, India 

a remaining Konarak horse that pulled the Sun God’s chariot, India
There were thousands of images…View image, including deities, celestial and human musicians…View image…View image, dancers…View image, scenes of court life with people on litters…View image, carrying goods…View image, riding elephants…View image, and one of my favorites, a woman wearing high-heeled shoes that we never would have seen if Bibhu hadn’t pointed it out! Remember, this was carved around 1236! What are the odds of a local workman ever seeing a woman with high heels on. Amazing!

fashionable high heels on a sculpture at Konarak Sun Temple, India
I asked Bibhu why the Sun Temple was destroyed and his theory had three main reasons:

- A change in rulers;

- The advent of Islam; and

- Natural disasters

There was still more to see. The world renowned erotic art…